I have been pretty bothered by people's backwards ideas about breastfeeding older infants and toddlers. It seems that a LOT of women out there have the ridiculous idea that breastfeeding has no benefit past a certain age (and usually that age is arbitrarily reached within the first year), and that somehow it is twisted to breastfeed an older baby or toddler. It bothers me greatly that people are so opinionated on the topic, so against something that is natural and amazingly beneficial. If I can just get it out there, even change one person's outdated views on the topic, I'll be happy.
I have had probably 50 posts on the subject swimming around in my mind for almost a year, but I never could get it all said succinctly enough. There are just too many benefits to list, too many innaccuracies to address... I couldn't get it all done in one post. Or even two posts. Instead, I'm going to repost information from other sources, along with my own thoughts.
This first article is from a widely renowned breastfeeding expert, Dr. Jack Newman. I find it only hits the tip of the iceberg on extended nursing, but I have to start somewhere, so this is where I'll start.
You can find the original article here.
Breastfeed a Toddler—Why on Earth?
Written by Jack Newman, MD
Because more and more women are now breastfeeding their babies, more and more are also finding that they enjoy breastfeeding enough to want to continue longer than the usual few months they initially thought they would. UNICEF has long encouraged breastfeeding for two years and longer, and the American Academy of Pediatrics is now on record as encouraging mothers to nurse at least one year and as long after as both mother and baby desire. Even the Canadian Paediatric Society, in its latest feeding statement acknowledges that women may want to breastfeed for two years or longer and Health Canada has put out a statement similar to UNICEF’s. Breastfeeding to 3 and 4 years of age has been common in much of the world until recently in human history, and it is still common in many societies for toddlers to breastfeed.
Why should breastfeeding continue past six months?
Because mothers and babies often enjoy breastfeeding a lot. Why stop an enjoyable relationship? And continued breastfeeding is even good for the health and welfare of both the mother and child.
But it is said that breastmilk has no value after six months.
Perhaps this is said, but it is patently wrong. That anyone (including paediatricians) can say such a thing only shows how ignorant so many people in our society are about breastfeeding. Breastmilk is, after all, milk. Even after six months, it still contains protein, fat, and other nutritionally important and appropriate elements which babies and children need. Breastmilk still contains immunologic factors that help protect the baby. In fact, some immune factors in breastmilk that protect the baby against infection are present in greater amounts in the second year of life than in the first. This is, of course as it should be, since children older than a year are generally exposed to more sources of infection. Breastmilk still contains special growth factors that help the immune system to mature, and which help the brain, gut, and other organs to develop and mature.
It has been well shown that children in daycare who are still breastfeeding have far fewer and less severe infections than the children who are not breastfeeding. The mother thus loses less work time if she continues nursing her baby once she is back at her paid work.
It is interesting that formula company marketing pushes the use of formula (a very poor copy of the real thing) for a year, yet implies that breastmilk (from which the poor copy is made) is only worthwhile for 6 months or even less (“the best nutrition for newborns”). Too many health professionals have taken up the refrain.
I have heard that the immunologic factors in breastmilk prevent the baby from developing his own immunity if I breastfeed past six months.
This is untrue; in fact, this is absurd. It is unbelievable how so many people in our society twist around the advantages of breastfeeding and turn them into disadvantages. We give babies immunizations so that they are able to defend themselves against the real infection. Breastmilk also helps the baby to fight off infections. When the baby fights off these infections, he becomes immune. Naturally.
But I want my baby to become independent.
And breastfeeding makes the toddler dependent? Don’t believe it. The child who breastfeeds until he weans himself (usually from 2 to 4 years), is generally more independent, and, perhaps, more importantly, more secure in his independence. He has received comfort and security from the breast, until he is ready to make the step himself to stop. And when he makes that step himself, he knows he has achieved something, he knows he has moved ahead. It is a milestone in his life.
Often we push children to become "independent" too quickly. To sleep alone too soon, to wean from the breast too soon, to do without their parents too soon, to do everything too soon. Don’t push and the child will become independent soon enough. What’s the rush? Soon they will be leaving home. You want them to leave home at 14? If a need is met, it goes away. If a need is unmet (such as the need to breastfeed and be close to mom), it remains a need well into childhood and even the teenage years.
Of course, breastfeeding can, in some situations, be used to foster an over dependent relationship. But so can food and toilet training. The problem is not the breastfeeding. This is another issue.
What else?
Possibly the most important aspect of nursing a toddler is not the nutritional or immunologic benefits, important as they are. I believe the most important aspect of nursing a toddler is the special relationship between child and mother. Breastfeeding is a life-affirming act of love. This continues when the baby becomes a toddler. Anyone without prejudices, who has ever observed an older baby or toddler nursing can testify that there is something almost magical, something special, something far beyond food going on. A toddler will sometimes spontaneously, for no obvious reason, break into laughter while he is nursing. His delight in the breast goes far beyond a source of food. And if the mother allows herself, breastfeeding becomes a source of delight for her as well, far beyond the pleasure of providing food. Of course, it’s not always great, but what is? But when it is, it makes it all so worthwhile.
And if the child does become ill or does get hurt (and they do as they meet other children and become more daring), what easier way to comfort the child than breastfeeding? I remember nights in the emergency department when mothers would walk their ill, non-nursing babies or toddlers up and down the halls trying, often unsuccessfully, to console them, while the nursing mothers were sitting quietly with their comforted, if not necessarily happy, babies at the breast. The mother comforts the sick child with breastfeeding, and the child comforts the mother by breastfeeding.
Questions? (416) 813-5757 ormailto:drjacknewman@sympatico.ca or my book Dr. Jack Newman’s Guide to Breastfeeding (called The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers in the USA)
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Doing Better
Didn't I just write a post with this title a week ago?
Noah's doing much better. He was super, super snotty for a day and a half, and then wasn't sneezing or coughing as much, so the rivers of snot weren't flowing from his nostrils nearly as much. We're still getting the occasional gush resulting from a good sneezing fit, though.
As far as colds go, this wasn't too bad. We've had it much much worse (and I didn't get it at all this time, surprisingly... since I have caught everything since I gave birth). I wonder if part of the reason it hasn't seemed bad is because Noah has slept great. For a couple of days his naps were all short (he often has one hour long nap and one short nap in a day) because he would wake himself up coughing. But his sleep at night has been fantastic. He coughed a lot overnight for a couple of nights, but even those nights he slept great, otherwise. He hasn't needed my intervention whatsoever. He hasn't fussed even a little bit, and hasn't gotten up to nurse before 5:30am this whole time. He has generally been sleeping 7pm to almost 7:30am. Last night he slept straight through from 7pm to 6:20am, and then he was up for the day.
If we hadn't done the sleep training thing back at 7 months, and if he still relied on me to put him to sleep everytime he woke up, we would have had a disaster on our hands during this illness, considering the number of times he was coughing overnight. Thank goodness he knows how to sleep, now!
I credit the constant breastfeeding (seriously, every 30-90 minutes) and the homepathic drops for colds for Noah getting over the cold so quickly. I started the drops 3 times a day as soon as I knew he had a cold, gave them to him 3 times a day for 2 days, and today only gave him them twice.
On a different, but slightly related note, my milk supply definitely increased with the Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. I took them for 2 full days, and along with the increased nursing, my supply increased. Not insanely, but I especially noticed it in the morning today (when my supply is already high).
Noah's doing much better. He was super, super snotty for a day and a half, and then wasn't sneezing or coughing as much, so the rivers of snot weren't flowing from his nostrils nearly as much. We're still getting the occasional gush resulting from a good sneezing fit, though.
As far as colds go, this wasn't too bad. We've had it much much worse (and I didn't get it at all this time, surprisingly... since I have caught everything since I gave birth). I wonder if part of the reason it hasn't seemed bad is because Noah has slept great. For a couple of days his naps were all short (he often has one hour long nap and one short nap in a day) because he would wake himself up coughing. But his sleep at night has been fantastic. He coughed a lot overnight for a couple of nights, but even those nights he slept great, otherwise. He hasn't needed my intervention whatsoever. He hasn't fussed even a little bit, and hasn't gotten up to nurse before 5:30am this whole time. He has generally been sleeping 7pm to almost 7:30am. Last night he slept straight through from 7pm to 6:20am, and then he was up for the day.
If we hadn't done the sleep training thing back at 7 months, and if he still relied on me to put him to sleep everytime he woke up, we would have had a disaster on our hands during this illness, considering the number of times he was coughing overnight. Thank goodness he knows how to sleep, now!
I credit the constant breastfeeding (seriously, every 30-90 minutes) and the homepathic drops for colds for Noah getting over the cold so quickly. I started the drops 3 times a day as soon as I knew he had a cold, gave them to him 3 times a day for 2 days, and today only gave him them twice.
On a different, but slightly related note, my milk supply definitely increased with the Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. I took them for 2 full days, and along with the increased nursing, my supply increased. Not insanely, but I especially noticed it in the morning today (when my supply is already high).
Monday, February 14, 2011
Poor Baby, Sick Again
(Noah is 10 months and 4 weeks old)
I have completely lost count of the number of times Noah has been sick. This time it's a cold. Lots of coughing, sneezing, and snotting. He keeps waking himself up coughing, and he's thrown up a couple of times just from all the hacking. He looks like he has a couple of black eyes.
Good old Aubrey gave him this, too. I can't really blame it on the daycare thing, though, because we see Aubrey once or twice a week whether I babysit her or not. I just keep reminding myself of that when I feel like I've made a bad decision in babysitting her because Noah and I keep getting sick. It would probably happen anyway.
The good news is that my milk supply has been fully back for about a week (I'm not totally sure if it was affected by the Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle, because I didn't end up taking it for longer than that one day). And Noah finally started signing "nurse." It's so adorable. He looks at me so hopefully and opens and closes his hand at me... "Nurse me, please, Mama? Nurse??" It's really, really adorable.
Yesterday Noah didn't have any solids at all. He fell asleep on the drive home at 6:20, I woke him up at 6:45 to change him into jammies and nurse him, he was back asleep at 7, slept until 5:15am, nursed, and went back to sleep until 7:30am. About 13 hours of sleep. I was happy, because I was worried that with no solids at dinnertime he might wake up earlier (therefore, I laid awake from 3:20 until he got up at 5:15). But he did great.
I'm taking Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle again today just to see what happens. Noah is not feeling so good, which makes him ask to nurse a lot (with his adorable little hopeful face). I have enough milk, but by the evening I'm running a little low (which is normal), and he still wants to nurse as often as he does the rest of the day. So I'm just going for a quick boost. We'll see what happens.
I have completely lost count of the number of times Noah has been sick. This time it's a cold. Lots of coughing, sneezing, and snotting. He keeps waking himself up coughing, and he's thrown up a couple of times just from all the hacking. He looks like he has a couple of black eyes.
Good old Aubrey gave him this, too. I can't really blame it on the daycare thing, though, because we see Aubrey once or twice a week whether I babysit her or not. I just keep reminding myself of that when I feel like I've made a bad decision in babysitting her because Noah and I keep getting sick. It would probably happen anyway.
The good news is that my milk supply has been fully back for about a week (I'm not totally sure if it was affected by the Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle, because I didn't end up taking it for longer than that one day). And Noah finally started signing "nurse." It's so adorable. He looks at me so hopefully and opens and closes his hand at me... "Nurse me, please, Mama? Nurse??" It's really, really adorable.
Yesterday Noah didn't have any solids at all. He fell asleep on the drive home at 6:20, I woke him up at 6:45 to change him into jammies and nurse him, he was back asleep at 7, slept until 5:15am, nursed, and went back to sleep until 7:30am. About 13 hours of sleep. I was happy, because I was worried that with no solids at dinnertime he might wake up earlier (therefore, I laid awake from 3:20 until he got up at 5:15). But he did great.
I'm taking Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle again today just to see what happens. Noah is not feeling so good, which makes him ask to nurse a lot (with his adorable little hopeful face). I have enough milk, but by the evening I'm running a little low (which is normal), and he still wants to nurse as often as he does the rest of the day. So I'm just going for a quick boost. We'll see what happens.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Boob Pride
I think we're all better in this house. Noah's rash was finally gone today, my stomach is fine, and I'm pretty sure my milk supply is back to normal. We were back to nursing every 2 hours today and my letdown has been really quick.
Last night I started taking Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. It's supposed to take 1-3 days to see results in your milk supply, so I don't know if my milk supply being better today has anything to do with that (probably not), but I'm going to keep taking it for a day or two to see what happens for me.
I said I was going to take it as a last resort, and I know I didn't need to take it. My milk supply was increasing on its own, although the whole day before I took the supplements my supply was still on the low side, which is what prompted me to take the supplements in the first place. My supply was probably back to normal today just because of the extra food I've been eating and the nursing every 60-90 minutes for 3 days straight.
But frankly, I am SICK of this crap. I am sick of getting sick and losing my milk supply and working for days to bring it back up for normal. If Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle will quicken the process, and I already have them in my house, then dangit I'm going to stop being so stubborn and just take them.
The first time this happened I didn't take any galactogogues because I wanted to know if, at 9 months postpartum, I could recover from a drastic dip in milk supply due to illness without taking anything. I found out I could. Then this time I didn't want to take anything because I knew I could regain my milk supply on my own. I've never had supply issues that weren't illness related, and even then it's only been twice because of bad stomach flus. I just felt like I didn't want to take anything when I knew my body could do it. Plus I had read that Fenugreek gives your skin a "scent." Didn't like the sound of that.
But then last night I just got tired of the whole thing and started wondering if I felt too much pride, or something. Like it was admitting my boobs had weakness if I took Fenugreek. Who the heck cares? I know my boobs can do it. Noah has grown from an itty bitty 7lb 12oz newborn to a 20.5lb almost 11 month old on 99.99% breastmilk (if you look at all the nutrition he's received in his entire life). And straight from the source too - never had a bottle.
Yeah, I know my boobs can do it. And I think I'm being unreasonable to refuse to take galactogogues after I've been extremely sick and suffered a decreased milk supply as a result of that.
So I took them. And I smell like maple syrup.
Last night I started taking Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle. It's supposed to take 1-3 days to see results in your milk supply, so I don't know if my milk supply being better today has anything to do with that (probably not), but I'm going to keep taking it for a day or two to see what happens for me.
I said I was going to take it as a last resort, and I know I didn't need to take it. My milk supply was increasing on its own, although the whole day before I took the supplements my supply was still on the low side, which is what prompted me to take the supplements in the first place. My supply was probably back to normal today just because of the extra food I've been eating and the nursing every 60-90 minutes for 3 days straight.
But frankly, I am SICK of this crap. I am sick of getting sick and losing my milk supply and working for days to bring it back up for normal. If Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle will quicken the process, and I already have them in my house, then dangit I'm going to stop being so stubborn and just take them.
The first time this happened I didn't take any galactogogues because I wanted to know if, at 9 months postpartum, I could recover from a drastic dip in milk supply due to illness without taking anything. I found out I could. Then this time I didn't want to take anything because I knew I could regain my milk supply on my own. I've never had supply issues that weren't illness related, and even then it's only been twice because of bad stomach flus. I just felt like I didn't want to take anything when I knew my body could do it. Plus I had read that Fenugreek gives your skin a "scent." Didn't like the sound of that.
But then last night I just got tired of the whole thing and started wondering if I felt too much pride, or something. Like it was admitting my boobs had weakness if I took Fenugreek. Who the heck cares? I know my boobs can do it. Noah has grown from an itty bitty 7lb 12oz newborn to a 20.5lb almost 11 month old on 99.99% breastmilk (if you look at all the nutrition he's received in his entire life). And straight from the source too - never had a bottle.
Yeah, I know my boobs can do it. And I think I'm being unreasonable to refuse to take galactogogues after I've been extremely sick and suffered a decreased milk supply as a result of that.
So I took them. And I smell like maple syrup.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Seriously, Still Not Better?
-Noah woke up this morning with a rash all over his torso and head. Not sure what that's about. I haven't taken his temp because he hasn't felt super hot, but he's been fussy still today. Not as fussy as yesterday (yesterday was pretty much the fussiest he's ever been), but still pretty fussy. I wish I could do more to help him.
-Tonight my stomach is shaky, again. It seems that I'm fine in the morning and early afternoons, and then by late afternoon and evening I'm not feeling so hot. I'm pretty confident I won't throw up again though, so it's just the after-effects of the virus, I guess.
-My milk supply is still meh. I'm letting down normally today (thank goodness!), I'm just still low on milk. We're just nursing lots (about every hour and a half) and hopefully by tomorrow things will be back to normal. I don't want to take Fenugreek unless I have to, since I've read it gives you and the baby a distinct smell while you're taking it. After I had the flu for 4 days in December I was able to get my milk supply back to normal after a few days without taking anything. I've been eating and drinking normally for 2 days now, so I'd appreciate it if my boobs would get the message. You know, so that we don't have to smell like funky herbs.
-Noah's been sleeping phenomenally through this whole thing (minus the first night where he had diarrhea in the middle of the night, and I'm pretty sure I kept waking him up with my puking after that, even though the fan was on in his room). Last night he slept straight through from 7:30pm (he had a later nap) until 6:10am - but then wouldn't go back to sleep. Almost all his naps have been an hour long, too. I'm glad he's sleeping well, despite whatever is wrong with him.
-Tonight my stomach is shaky, again. It seems that I'm fine in the morning and early afternoons, and then by late afternoon and evening I'm not feeling so hot. I'm pretty confident I won't throw up again though, so it's just the after-effects of the virus, I guess.
-My milk supply is still meh. I'm letting down normally today (thank goodness!), I'm just still low on milk. We're just nursing lots (about every hour and a half) and hopefully by tomorrow things will be back to normal. I don't want to take Fenugreek unless I have to, since I've read it gives you and the baby a distinct smell while you're taking it. After I had the flu for 4 days in December I was able to get my milk supply back to normal after a few days without taking anything. I've been eating and drinking normally for 2 days now, so I'd appreciate it if my boobs would get the message. You know, so that we don't have to smell like funky herbs.
-Noah's been sleeping phenomenally through this whole thing (minus the first night where he had diarrhea in the middle of the night, and I'm pretty sure I kept waking him up with my puking after that, even though the fan was on in his room). Last night he slept straight through from 7:30pm (he had a later nap) until 6:10am - but then wouldn't go back to sleep. Almost all his naps have been an hour long, too. I'm glad he's sleeping well, despite whatever is wrong with him.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Still Not Well
I spoke too soon this morning. On several subjects.
-I'm not throwing up, but I'm not feeling right. My stomach feels exactly the way it felt on Friday night before I went to bed - as in, 4 hours before I woke up nauseous, 6 hours before I started vomiting every half hour. I'm not nauseous, but my stomach is upset. I'm bloated above the bellybutton, and it feels like food is just sitting stagnant in my stomach. I couldn't possibly start throwing up again tonight, right? It's been 36 hours since the last time I threw up... I can't handle this happening to me again!!
-My milk supply has definitely been affected. I haven't been letting down properly for over 24 hours, which means Noah's been having a hard time getting milk out, which means my breasts aren't draining properly, which means they think they don't need to make as much milk the next day, and less milk makes it even harder to let down... it's been a frustrating day for the boobs.
-Noah is still not well. He has a mild fever again, and has been so fussy today. He's actually been inconsolable on several occasions (luckily not lasting more than 5 minutes). He's had periods of bad diarrhea, so I think his tummy has been hurting. Plus he's frustrated with the nursing issues, which is likely really contributing to the inconsolability.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Back to the Superbowl.
-I'm not throwing up, but I'm not feeling right. My stomach feels exactly the way it felt on Friday night before I went to bed - as in, 4 hours before I woke up nauseous, 6 hours before I started vomiting every half hour. I'm not nauseous, but my stomach is upset. I'm bloated above the bellybutton, and it feels like food is just sitting stagnant in my stomach. I couldn't possibly start throwing up again tonight, right? It's been 36 hours since the last time I threw up... I can't handle this happening to me again!!
-My milk supply has definitely been affected. I haven't been letting down properly for over 24 hours, which means Noah's been having a hard time getting milk out, which means my breasts aren't draining properly, which means they think they don't need to make as much milk the next day, and less milk makes it even harder to let down... it's been a frustrating day for the boobs.
-Noah is still not well. He has a mild fever again, and has been so fussy today. He's actually been inconsolable on several occasions (luckily not lasting more than 5 minutes). He's had periods of bad diarrhea, so I think his tummy has been hurting. Plus he's frustrated with the nursing issues, which is likely really contributing to the inconsolability.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Back to the Superbowl.
Much Better
I can't believe how many people have been sick with the stomach flu recently, This morning my Dashboard was filled with posts about it. I hope everyone gets over it soon!!
Things are looking much better in our house (in time for Superbowl Sunday! Go Steelers!!). Noah's fever is gone and he's back to his normal self - although even more sucky for Mommy than usual, since he didn't see me as much yesterday. I felt terrible all day yesterday, although after 9:30am I never did throw up again. It was a total of 8 or 9 times. I lost count. But I felt so nauseous and awful all day, right up until I went to sleep. But when I woke up in the middle of the night and rolled over I felt much better. Previous to this, any movement made my nausea worse. Today I'm not feeling nauseous at all, just weak and kind of under the weather.
Last night I got 9 hours of sleep, which is incredible for me. Noah went to bed at 6:50pm and slept straight through until 5:50am when he nursed and promptly he went back to sleep until a little past 8am. Amazing! I dozed for awhile before Justin turned off the TV and left the room at 8:45pm, and then slept until 5:50, only waking up a few times in those 9 hours and falling back asleep easily.
Something I did not know about nursing and the stomach flu - you let down when you throw up. It's weird. Something I did know about nursing and the stomach flu, due to the fact that I already had it back in December (minus the actual vomiting) - when you're sick like that, your letdown takes forever to happen when you're actually nursing. Yeah, you let down at the most useless time - when your head is buried in a toilet - but when you need to actually feed your child, it takes forever. Last night when Noah was nursing to sleep it took 11 MINUTES for me to letdown! By then he was asleep, and barely took anything in.
Letdown can take a long time if you're pretty empty, but my supply seems to have kept up pretty well since I was only sick and not eating for one day. I still have enough milk, but today my letdown is still taking forever. Which will probably end up affecting my supply for tomorrow.
Annoying.
Things are looking much better in our house (in time for Superbowl Sunday! Go Steelers!!). Noah's fever is gone and he's back to his normal self - although even more sucky for Mommy than usual, since he didn't see me as much yesterday. I felt terrible all day yesterday, although after 9:30am I never did throw up again. It was a total of 8 or 9 times. I lost count. But I felt so nauseous and awful all day, right up until I went to sleep. But when I woke up in the middle of the night and rolled over I felt much better. Previous to this, any movement made my nausea worse. Today I'm not feeling nauseous at all, just weak and kind of under the weather.
Last night I got 9 hours of sleep, which is incredible for me. Noah went to bed at 6:50pm and slept straight through until 5:50am when he nursed and promptly he went back to sleep until a little past 8am. Amazing! I dozed for awhile before Justin turned off the TV and left the room at 8:45pm, and then slept until 5:50, only waking up a few times in those 9 hours and falling back asleep easily.
Something I did not know about nursing and the stomach flu - you let down when you throw up. It's weird. Something I did know about nursing and the stomach flu, due to the fact that I already had it back in December (minus the actual vomiting) - when you're sick like that, your letdown takes forever to happen when you're actually nursing. Yeah, you let down at the most useless time - when your head is buried in a toilet - but when you need to actually feed your child, it takes forever. Last night when Noah was nursing to sleep it took 11 MINUTES for me to letdown! By then he was asleep, and barely took anything in.
Letdown can take a long time if you're pretty empty, but my supply seems to have kept up pretty well since I was only sick and not eating for one day. I still have enough milk, but today my letdown is still taking forever. Which will probably end up affecting my supply for tomorrow.
Annoying.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
And What Do I Get For My Troubles?
I do the good deed of babysitting Aubrey for mere peanuts, and what do I get for my kindness?
The stomach flu. Again. Only this time it's worse. I've only gotten an hour and a half of sleep in the past 32 hours because I was up all night. Barfing. Apparently Mark and Erin had the 24 hour stomach flu near the end of the week and never told me.
I threw up 8 times between 2am and 9am, but nothing for the past 4 or 5 hours. Hopefully it's on its way out.
Noah is under the weather, too. I mentioned his fussyness on Thursday and how it seemed like he didn't feel well. Same thing on Friday, same thing last night (along with diarrhea at 2am) and just a lot of cuddly fussyness today. Thank goodness he's not throwing up, but I can tell he feels the way I feel. He's also had a mild fever, going as high as 100.7 F. Poor little guy. It seems the nursing is doing the trick though, because while he almost always gets sick when I get sick, it's never anywhere near as bad as my sickness is.
Justi had a basketball tournament today, but thankfully he has an assistant coach, so he was able to not go to take care of us, instead. Good thing, because I would never have been able to do it alone.
I really hate throwing up.
The stomach flu. Again. Only this time it's worse. I've only gotten an hour and a half of sleep in the past 32 hours because I was up all night. Barfing. Apparently Mark and Erin had the 24 hour stomach flu near the end of the week and never told me.
I threw up 8 times between 2am and 9am, but nothing for the past 4 or 5 hours. Hopefully it's on its way out.
Noah is under the weather, too. I mentioned his fussyness on Thursday and how it seemed like he didn't feel well. Same thing on Friday, same thing last night (along with diarrhea at 2am) and just a lot of cuddly fussyness today. Thank goodness he's not throwing up, but I can tell he feels the way I feel. He's also had a mild fever, going as high as 100.7 F. Poor little guy. It seems the nursing is doing the trick though, because while he almost always gets sick when I get sick, it's never anywhere near as bad as my sickness is.
Justi had a basketball tournament today, but thankfully he has an assistant coach, so he was able to not go to take care of us, instead. Good thing, because I would never have been able to do it alone.
I really hate throwing up.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Interesting Bedtime
Tonight was a weird night.
While I was feeding Noah his solids he got really fussy. He was acting like he was in pain. I took him out of his high chair and he just kept making a soft little whiny moan sound, and leaning into me and cuddling me. Normally if I'm sitting in a chair he won't just sit in my lap and lean into my chest for very long, but he just kept leaning into me and moaning. It was bedtime, so I took him to the bathroom for his bath, and he did the same thing in there. It was actually difficult to get him undressed. The only thing I could think of was that maybe his tummy started hurting while he was eating? I don't know.
In the bath he seemed happy. After he got out he got really cold, which was weird because he never gets that cold after his bath. He was shivering and his extremeties were purple. I got him dressed, and while I was putting him in his sleep sack he was fussing. This is normal for him, but because of his cuddly moans for the previous half hour, I picked him up to walk over to turn the bathroom light off (I leave it on while I'm putting him in the sleepsack on the bed because it helps me see without being too much light) instead of leaving him lying on the bed (it's 3 steps away, I keep my eye on his at all times, and this is the one time of day that he never rolls over when he's lying on his back).
On the "walk" (ie. 3 steps) to the bathroom, he leaned his head on my shoulder. When I sat down on the bed he kept his head on my shoulder, and he was making little sighing noises with his voice, not just his breath. I liked having him hugging me like that, because it doesn't happen that often that he lays his head on my shoulder and keeps it there for a long time. Sometimes he does it after I pick him up from his crib, but usually only keeps it there while I'm standing and rocking back and forth.
So I'm thinking I'll just enjoy the brief cuddle and then nurse him, like I have every single day of his life before bed. But, BUT, BUT, within 30 seconds he had conked out. It was crazy! He NEVER falls asleep like that. In fact, when he was 2 or 3 months old I had to stop burping him after he fell asleep nursing because he would wake up from the transfer onto my shoulder. Plus, he has never in his entire life not nursed before going to bed at night. But he seriously just totally passed out! He didn't even stir when I got up or when I laid him in his crib.
I did sit on my bed hugging him for like 20 minutes, though. It was too good to pass up. I wanted to just lie down with him draped over me and stay like that for hours. But I knew he would sleep more comfortably in his own bed.
This is so weird. I don't know what to make of it. I wonder if his tummy was actually hurting and that's why he didn't want to nurse. Or maybe he was just so exhausted (he did seem tired) and he accidentally fell asleep. Both of those options are strange to me, because a) he ALWAYS wants to nurse, even when he's sick, and b) he doesn't give in to sleep very easily. He never has.
On a sidenote, I tried pumping for almost an hour to try and at least take the milk out so I wouldn't lose my supply for tomorrow and so I won't get engorged overnight. But I got less than 20 mL out. After almost an hour of pumping. I just can't letdown with the pump anymore. I don't use it often enough (maybe once a month).
While I was feeding Noah his solids he got really fussy. He was acting like he was in pain. I took him out of his high chair and he just kept making a soft little whiny moan sound, and leaning into me and cuddling me. Normally if I'm sitting in a chair he won't just sit in my lap and lean into my chest for very long, but he just kept leaning into me and moaning. It was bedtime, so I took him to the bathroom for his bath, and he did the same thing in there. It was actually difficult to get him undressed. The only thing I could think of was that maybe his tummy started hurting while he was eating? I don't know.
In the bath he seemed happy. After he got out he got really cold, which was weird because he never gets that cold after his bath. He was shivering and his extremeties were purple. I got him dressed, and while I was putting him in his sleep sack he was fussing. This is normal for him, but because of his cuddly moans for the previous half hour, I picked him up to walk over to turn the bathroom light off (I leave it on while I'm putting him in the sleepsack on the bed because it helps me see without being too much light) instead of leaving him lying on the bed (it's 3 steps away, I keep my eye on his at all times, and this is the one time of day that he never rolls over when he's lying on his back).
On the "walk" (ie. 3 steps) to the bathroom, he leaned his head on my shoulder. When I sat down on the bed he kept his head on my shoulder, and he was making little sighing noises with his voice, not just his breath. I liked having him hugging me like that, because it doesn't happen that often that he lays his head on my shoulder and keeps it there for a long time. Sometimes he does it after I pick him up from his crib, but usually only keeps it there while I'm standing and rocking back and forth.
So I'm thinking I'll just enjoy the brief cuddle and then nurse him, like I have every single day of his life before bed. But, BUT, BUT, within 30 seconds he had conked out. It was crazy! He NEVER falls asleep like that. In fact, when he was 2 or 3 months old I had to stop burping him after he fell asleep nursing because he would wake up from the transfer onto my shoulder. Plus, he has never in his entire life not nursed before going to bed at night. But he seriously just totally passed out! He didn't even stir when I got up or when I laid him in his crib.
I did sit on my bed hugging him for like 20 minutes, though. It was too good to pass up. I wanted to just lie down with him draped over me and stay like that for hours. But I knew he would sleep more comfortably in his own bed.
This is so weird. I don't know what to make of it. I wonder if his tummy was actually hurting and that's why he didn't want to nurse. Or maybe he was just so exhausted (he did seem tired) and he accidentally fell asleep. Both of those options are strange to me, because a) he ALWAYS wants to nurse, even when he's sick, and b) he doesn't give in to sleep very easily. He never has.
On a sidenote, I tried pumping for almost an hour to try and at least take the milk out so I wouldn't lose my supply for tomorrow and so I won't get engorged overnight. But I got less than 20 mL out. After almost an hour of pumping. I just can't letdown with the pump anymore. I don't use it often enough (maybe once a month).
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
My First Day as a "Daycare" Provider
So, I had my first day as Aubrey's daycare provider today. All in all it went well.
Solids - Meals were a bit of a gong show because I don't have two high chairs and Noah would never tolerate me feeding Aubrey without him in a highchair eating, too. Aubrey had to eat in a bumbo on a kitchen chair while I gave Noah finger foods. Doing that twice (well, doing that even once) was not amazing. And Aubrey hasn't been a great eater since she's been sick, so that made it less fun.
Nursing - It worked out today that I did all of Noah's nursing while Aubrey was in bed or with someone else. My parents came over at 2 because they'd been gone on a cruise, so they watched Aubrey while I nursed Noah and put him down for his second nap. All his other nursings were while Aubrey was either sleeping or Erin was over at lunchtime nursing her.
Naps - Noah performed as expected and freaked out while I was getting Aubrey in her sleep sack and cuddling her (for like 10 seconds!) before her first nap. He was sleeping when I did this for her second nap. But Aubrey slept well, an hour and a half for the first nap and half an hour for the second nap (she's been apparently phasing this nap out, so Erin was surprised she took it at all). Her first nap was at 9:40 until 11:15. Noah didn't go down for his first nap until 10:35, and he woke up at 11:20. Luckily Aubrey woke up first, so I was able to change her bum and her clothes before Noah got up (and could freak out again).
Myself - My house was a mess and I hardly had time to eat the entire day. That was less than ideal. I felt so much more "go-go-go" than I am with just one baby (and even one baby is busy). But it wasn't bad.
Aubrey was a total sweetie-pie. She's a big cuddler, and cuddles with me probably 10x more than my own kid does!!! She even cuddled with my mom the second my mom picked her up. It was so nice. Noah loves to cuddle, but his version of cuddling is climbing all over me and hugging me while standing and giving me kisses. Aubrey will literally just sit in your lap hugging you with her head on your chest for like 15 minutes. Noah hasn't done that since he could lift up his head!
All in all, it was fine. But I wouldn't want to do it everyday for only $34. It's worth a lot more than that. If we didn't need the money, I probably wouldn't do it. But I can handle once or twice a week. And it wasn't as crazy as I anticipated. It's like having twins for 8 hours of the day. If it was my own set of twins and I had grown into it (instead of just suddenly having 2 kids each about 11 months old) I think it'd be more than fine. But it is definitely busier. You're really on your toes with the feedings and the naps and the diaper changes and the making sure they don't kill each other.
By accident, of course.
Solids - Meals were a bit of a gong show because I don't have two high chairs and Noah would never tolerate me feeding Aubrey without him in a highchair eating, too. Aubrey had to eat in a bumbo on a kitchen chair while I gave Noah finger foods. Doing that twice (well, doing that even once) was not amazing. And Aubrey hasn't been a great eater since she's been sick, so that made it less fun.
Nursing - It worked out today that I did all of Noah's nursing while Aubrey was in bed or with someone else. My parents came over at 2 because they'd been gone on a cruise, so they watched Aubrey while I nursed Noah and put him down for his second nap. All his other nursings were while Aubrey was either sleeping or Erin was over at lunchtime nursing her.
Naps - Noah performed as expected and freaked out while I was getting Aubrey in her sleep sack and cuddling her (for like 10 seconds!) before her first nap. He was sleeping when I did this for her second nap. But Aubrey slept well, an hour and a half for the first nap and half an hour for the second nap (she's been apparently phasing this nap out, so Erin was surprised she took it at all). Her first nap was at 9:40 until 11:15. Noah didn't go down for his first nap until 10:35, and he woke up at 11:20. Luckily Aubrey woke up first, so I was able to change her bum and her clothes before Noah got up (and could freak out again).
Myself - My house was a mess and I hardly had time to eat the entire day. That was less than ideal. I felt so much more "go-go-go" than I am with just one baby (and even one baby is busy). But it wasn't bad.
Aubrey was a total sweetie-pie. She's a big cuddler, and cuddles with me probably 10x more than my own kid does!!! She even cuddled with my mom the second my mom picked her up. It was so nice. Noah loves to cuddle, but his version of cuddling is climbing all over me and hugging me while standing and giving me kisses. Aubrey will literally just sit in your lap hugging you with her head on your chest for like 15 minutes. Noah hasn't done that since he could lift up his head!
All in all, it was fine. But I wouldn't want to do it everyday for only $34. It's worth a lot more than that. If we didn't need the money, I probably wouldn't do it. But I can handle once or twice a week. And it wasn't as crazy as I anticipated. It's like having twins for 8 hours of the day. If it was my own set of twins and I had grown into it (instead of just suddenly having 2 kids each about 11 months old) I think it'd be more than fine. But it is definitely busier. You're really on your toes with the feedings and the naps and the diaper changes and the making sure they don't kill each other.
By accident, of course.
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